STAY HEALTHY UNIT

By: Carmen Willingsteachingvisuallyimpaired.com

Staying
healthy is a timely topic during cold and flu season. Many people get sick
during winter which is why it is called the cold and flu season. It can be
especially easy for persons who are blind or visually impaired to get sick as
they may be dependent on tactual exploration to learn from and move safely
through their environment. There are important steps everyone should take to
avoid getting sick during this season. Encourage students to stay hydrated, eat
healthy foods, get enough sleep and use good hygiene.

Unit Introduction

Material SuggestionsInteraction with real materials is critical in developing an
understanding of concepts for the student with minimal or no vision. Possible materials for this unit include
but are not limited to:

Concept Development

Stay Healthy ConceptsObjective: The student will gain knowledge and understanding through topic discussion.

Talk with
students about proven ways to stay healthy (You may also want to talk about Old Wives Tales like “An apple a day keeps the
doctor away.”):

Nutrition. Discuss the food pyramid, vitamins
and supplements and foods that are healthy and good for your body. The
first step in staying healthy is to eat a healthy diet with lots of
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Discuss how the Food
Pyramid has changed over the years as experts have learned more about what
our body needs to stay healthy and strong and maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise. In addition to eating healthy,
it is important to stay active. Discuss
various ways to exercise including aerobic and anaerobic, strength
training and muscle building. List a variety of exercise equipment:
trampoline, bicycling, weights, jump rope, elliptical, treadmill, pool.
The more you move, the more you are likely to stay healthy and avoid being
overweight which can make you more likely to get different types of
diseases.

Hygiene. Discuss that in addition to
eating healthy and staying active, keeping clean is also important to stay
healthy and wash away germs. Discuss viruses which get into your body
through your eyes, nose and mouth making it very important to wash your
hands regularly. When you wash your hands, be sure to use warm water and
plenty of soap. Health experts say you should wash your hands for 20
seconds, or as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday.” When soap and
water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based sanitizer. When you sneeze or
cough (or need to clean out your nose!) use a tissue. Don’t share water
bottles or utensils with friends.

Sleep. Every night you should get
plenty of sleep to help you recharge.

Sickness. Discuss what to do when you do get sick.
The student may need to see a doctor and take medicine (cold, cough, flu).
Discuss that there are other ways
to take care of yourself when you’re sick like getting plenty of rest.
Discuss Old Wives Tales and that some of them work while others don’t. Also
discuss the importance of not spreading germs when you are sick.

Staying Healthy Category Sort

Stay Healthy Category SortObjective: Student will classify pictures/objects into categories and identify if any objects go together using tactual or visual discrimination skills. Provide the student with a variety of materials or pictures related to staying healthy. Encourage the student to sort them by use.

Food Pyramid Tactual Graphic PuzzleObjective: Student will correctly orient and assemble a tactual graphic puzzle. Locate or create a simple line drawing of a food pyramid. Create a tactual graphic and cut the graphic into one half, 4 pieces or more depending on the student’s goals.

Community Experience

Real World Experience: School ClinicObjective: Student will develop a more
concrete understanding of unit and their world through direct interaction with
their world.
Arrange a
visit with the nurse at your school’s clinic. Arrange for the nurse to show the
student what happens in the nurses clinic, why students come to visit her and how
she can help them. Also ask the nurse to share with the student about healthy
habits. Instruct the student that during
the experience, you want them to pay attention to what they see, hear, smell,
and feel. Bring along a portable recording device to record sounds. Discussion Following Visit to ClinicObjective: Student will reflect on
their experience and communicate what they are able to recall (demonstrate
memory) including what they heard, saw, smelled, felt, etc.
Upon return
to class, encourage the student to discuss what they saw, heard, touched and
experienced at the nurses clinic. Encourage the student to provide details and
describe people, places and events during the experience (ex. What classrooms
did they pass? Where is the clinic located? What is the name of the nurse? Is
she there every day?). Play back audio recordings from the experience. As you
listen, pause it to have the student identify the sounds. Encourage them to
communicate feelings or ideas related to the visit. Make a list of these
items/experiences, write a short story about it, or just retell the experience.
Experience SequenceObjective: Student will sequence the occurrence
of events. Use recordings
to help the student recall the sequence of events during the experience. Who
did they meet along the way? Did they pass the music room, gym or cafeteria?
Did anything unexpected happen?

Writing Activities

Staying Healthy Lists & FactsObjective: Student will write letters and words of increasing length from dictation or will generate from memory or experience. Depending on the student’s abilities, encourage the student make lists of words related to the unit or use those words to create simple sentences. Alternatively, have the students write from dictation the facts about being healthy.Examples: Get regular checkups from a doctor. Follow a balanced diet to make sure you’re getting enough nutrition. Exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes a day. Get enough sleep every night.Healthy PostersObjective: Student will write ideas and experiences related to the topic in various formats (ex. opinion, informative, persuasive) Have students research information on ways to stay healthy (brushing teeth, proper hand washing, etc.)

Visual Efficiency & Optical Aid Use

Copy a Food PyramidObjective: Student will copy materials presented at a distance. Prepare a drawing of the food pyramid (or other item from the unit). Place the drawing far enough away so the student needs to use the monocular in order to view it. Provide the student with paper, pencils, and crayons or markers and encourage them to copy the drawing.Copy the Poem "Take Me Out of the Bathtub"Objective: Student will copy materials presented at a distance. Write the poem Take Me Out of the Bathtub by Alan Katz, or other health related poem, on 1” ruled chart tablet. Place the chart far enough away so the student needs to use the monocular to see it. Provide the student with paper and pencil or pen to copy the poem.

Pill Bottle or Label StudyObjective: Student will examine objects and describe what is seen. Provide the student with various pill bottles or healthy food labels. Encourage the student to use their prescribed magnifying glass or a video magnifier to identify information on the label. Have students identify numbers and sight words or familiar vocabulary words from the unit. Alternatively, provide the student with printed words in a larger font and have them find the identical word on the label.

Matching MedicinesObjective: The student will visually discriminate between objects. Create a file folder game to encourage visual discrimination. Create drawings of various bottles of medicines. Vary the complexity of the patterns to match the student’s needs to ensure they are challenged but can be successful. Create matching medicine bottles and encourage the student to find the match.Healthy Food Lotto Boards Objective: The student will match pictures, drawings or letters. Create lotto boards using pictures/stickers of healthy foods. Create several boards with varying levels of visual complexity. Glue/stick pictures to the board. Create a matching set of pictures on cards and have the student match the pictures.Hand Washing SequenceObjective: Student will identify and sequence what is happening in pictures. Using pictures depicting various stages of hand washing, have the student arrange the pictures in the correct order.

Healthy Picture SortObjective: Student will visually
discriminate pictures and associate pictures by season. Provide the student
with a variety of sales flyers from Target, Walmart, grocery stores and drug stores. Encourage them to fold or draw a line down
the center of a large piece of art paper. Have the student label one side as "staying healthy" and the other side with "getting better". Have the student cut out
pictures from catalogs of healthy foods, hygiene items and exercise equipment (Alternatively,
provide a variety of precut pictures for the student). Glue the pictures under the title "Staying Healthy". Have the student locate pictures representing items to purchase to help get better such as "sick food" and medicines.

Healthy SequencesObjective:
Student will sequence events to tell a story.

Using pictures depicting steps in brushing teeth and washing hands. Have the students arrange the pictures in the correct order.

Math & Life Skills

What Time is It?Objective: Students will relate time concepts (minute, hour, day, week) to real life activities. Discuss with the student that when you go to the doctor, you make an appointment. It is important to show up to the appointment on time. Present the student with times presented in Nemeth or in digital format. Have the student create the matching time using a tactual learning clock.

Literature connection...

Book Introduction: Going to the Doctor by Anne Civardi (Usborne First Experience Book)Objective: Student will listen/attend to story that is read and predict what will happen next in a story. Show the student the front and back cover of the book and read the title with them. Ask students who have functional vision to identify what the picture shows (A doctor looking in a child’s ear on the front and a boy with his arm in a sling on the back.) Present the student with pictures and/or objects from the story (ex. Sling, thermometer, auroscope, stethoscope, prescription, dropper, prescription, spoon, etc.). Verbally describe the pictures for those with minimal or no vision. Ask the student what they might read about in this book. Predict the content, events and outcome using title, illustrations, and objects. Explain that predictions may change as you read and gather more information. Model asking questions you may have about the book/topic. (ex. I wonder if they’re at the doctor because they got hurt, their sick, or because they need a check-up)Read the StoryObjective: Student will attend to story and attempt to follow along in print or braille. Read the story with enthusiasm and inflection (or present the story via electronic text). Provide the student with copies of the text. Reread the story with the student and encourage them to read along or to read high frequency or vocabulary words. Pause when you come to these words, prompting the student to fill in the blank. Story ComprehensionObjective: Student will answer questions (ex. who, what, where, when, why) and recall details and facts from information presented. After reading the story, encourage the student to ask questions they may have about the story:

Ask the student questions to demonstrate understanding of the text. (ex. What did Mrs. Jay do while they waited in the waiting room?)

Do they remember a time when they went to the doctor? Was there experience similar or different to the story?

What was the intent of the author? Was it to inform, provide directions, or to entertain?

EmotionsObjective: Student will demonstrate an understanding of emotions. Ask the student how they felt when they read/listened to the story. Did they think it was funny or were they bothered by the events? Did the characters in the story seem scared or worried to be at the doctor? Point out that in the picture, it looks like Jack was worried when the doctor was examining his arm, but in the next picture he looks happy as he looks down at his sling and smiles. Story SequenceObjective: Student will sequence events from the story. Using the objects or pictures related to the story, have the student sequence the story. Encourage the student to recall the sequence of events in order. Reread the story and have the student see if they were correct. Ex.